Original subtitles

MARTIN: Look at the green frog.

It's swimming, it's swimming,

- it's swimming. - (BABY COOING)

♪ Five little ducks went swimming one day

♪ Over the hills and far away

♪ Mother duck said quack, quack, quack

♪ But only four little ducks came back ♪

Yeah. Want some water?

Do you want some water? Ooh!

Who's a good boy? Who's a very good boy?

RUTH: Hello babies.

MARTIN: Mummy's back.

(BABY COOING)

(CHIMING SOFTLY)

MARTIN: Is he out?

(SIGHING) Like a light.

Do you think he'll sleep through?

Please God.

I hate missing bath times.

Here.

Ah, not for me. I'm seeing Karen tonight.

MARTIN: Since when?

I told you this morning.

No, you didn't.

I did, Martin.

I'll only be an hour. And I haven't seen her in ages.

What?

What?

(DOORBELL RINGING)

(INDISTINCT TALKING ON TELEVISION)

(BABY WHINING)

(VOICE HUMMING OVER BABY MONITOR)

(BABY CRYING)

(VOICE SHUSHING)

VOICE: (ON MONITOR) ♪ Twinkle, twinkle, little star

♪ How I wonder what... ♪

♪ Rock-a-bye baby on the tree-tops

♪ When the wind blows the cradle will rock

♪ When the bough breaks the cradle will fall

♪ And down will come cradle baby and all ♪

(THEME MUSIC PLAYING)

Morning.

(BABY CRYING)

(CRYING CONTINUES)

(SIGHING)

(WHINING)

JUDE: Oh. Good morning.

(GRUNTING)

Whoa.

Oh.

Have you got any instant?

Not enough caffeine.

Instant's fine.

It's in there.

Oh, yeah.

Listen, Jude.

We'll talk. Call me.

I will. I will.

Two,

three.

- (ZIPPER UNFASTENING) - Didn't hear you come in last night.

You were dead to the world. I didn't want to wake you.

Did you hear anything odd last night?

On the baby monitor?

What do you mean odd?

Some kind of interference from next door,

- I don't know. - (ZIPPER FASTENING)

Can't be the neighbors, they're away.

Why?

Just wonder.

Okay.

Call me, will you?

- I always do. - No. You don't.

See you later.

- (DOOR CLOSES) - (SIGHING)

(BABY CRYING ON MONITOR)

VOICE: ♪ Twinkle, twinkle little star

♪ How I wonder what you are ♪

(BABY CONTINUES CRYING)

♪ When the blazing sun is gone

♪ When he nothing shines upon... ♪

(BABY COOING)

There, there. Shh.

(BABY COOING)

MARTIN: Alison Mundy?

Sorry for coming with the baby and all, yeah.

I would've come alone except

there's no one that can take him during the day.

ALISON: It's okay, it's fine. Don't worry.

Um, Martin, this is Robert Bridge.

Robert's writing a book about what I do.

And if you've got no objections he'd like to sit in on our conversation.

It's an academic publication. I wouldn't use your real name of course.

Sure.

- Who's this? - Tom.

I'm going to make some tea. Do you take milk and sugar?

Yes. Thanks.

ALISON: So, Martin. What can I do for you?

MARTIN: I'm not sure really. Um.

This isn't something I've done before. I'm not really, um...

Um, I'm not sure.

I'm sorry, I haven't got any tea bags.

Don't worry, it's fine.

(SCOFFS)

I can't believe I'm here really,

it's all been a bit, um...

This is going to sound a bit mad, but, um...

I keep hearing, uh...

It's the baby monitor.

There are these sounds.

What sort of sounds?

I thought at first it was interference you know,

like a radio from next door, something like that. But it's not.

- It's something else. - What?

I don't know.

But I think it's about Tom.

MARTIN: If you'd like to leave a message, go ahead after the beep.

(PROLONGED BEEP)

RUTH: Hi, it's me.

Um, checking in as requested.

Um, pick up if you're there? Martin?

(BEEP)

(GROANING FROM BABY MONITOR)

MARTIN: (IN DISTANCE) I've had to become a house husband.

- Give up my job. It's totally different. - (DOOR OPENING)

So, Ruth got her diploma when she was pregnant.

She earns more than me so,

I suppose, it's a financial decision really.

The thing is if,

look, if she knew I'd contacted a medium,

she might not understand.

It's just up there.

Ruth got it for him.

Could I have a minute? Do you mind?

(WATER DRIPPING)

What happened to the bath?

It's the taps. They keep dripping.

Driving me mad.

(TAP SQUEAKING)

(ROBERT TRIPPING)

ROBERT: Oh!

Oh, my God, Robert. Are you all right?

Is everything all right?

ROBERT: Uh, I don't know.

Are you sure you're okay?

Yeah. I'm fine.

When you were in the nursery, did you... (SIGHING)

Did you sense anything?

ALISON: No. Why?

ROBERT: Nothing. I just wondered.

ALISON: What's bothering you?

Nothing. I had a dizzy spell, that's all.

It's just it felt strange.

I don't know. I just felt something

unusual, that's all.

What do you mean by unusual? Are you sure you're okay to drive?

Forget it. Just forget it.

(DOOR OPENING)

ALISON: I'll get you a drink of water.

Do you want a biscuit?

I fainted. I didn't give blood.

What the hell's this?

It's okay.

Sit down.

(WHISPERING) I didn't do it.

- (PLATE CLATTERING) - Alison?

- (MUMBLING) I didn't do it. - Alison?

- I didn't do it. - Alison.

Stop! Stop that. Put it down.

I'll clean it up.

I didn't do it.

Alison, what the hell are you doing?

Stop! Put it down. Put it down.

(BREATHING HEAVILY)

ALISON: I've got to do it again. ROBERT: No. No.

ALISON: Do it again. ROBERT: No. Stop this.

ALISON: Do it again.

(PANTING) I didn't do it, I didn't do it.

I know. I know.

- I didn't do it. I didn't do it. - Calm down.

- I didn't do it. - Listen to me. Alison, Alison.

Alison, it's okay.

It's okay.

I didn't do it.

She did.

Who?

My mother.

My mother did it.

You told me your mother was dead.

My mother did it.

She used to throw stuff away.

She used to clean up all the time.

She used to say that everything was dirty.

You think she's here now?

Alison,

we really need to talk about this.

I can't.

I'm okay.

Will you go now?

RUTH: It's just you weren't in when I called.

MARTIN: Oh, yeah. The message.

RUTH: Well, where were you? MARTIN: You know. Out.

RUTH: Well, what do you mean out? MARTIN: What is this?

RUTH: Look, you're the one that makes a fuss

- about me checking in all the time. - (BABY CRYING)

RUTH: Why does it always have to be about that?

MARTIN: Because that's what it's always about.

Look Martin, we can't keep...

(BABY CRYING ON MONITOR)

VOICE: (ON MONITOR) Shh, there, there...

There's a good boy.

Shh, now.

(BABY COOING)

(STATIC CRACKLING)

(BABY COOING)

(STATIC CRACKLING)

(WATER RUNNING)

(BABY FUSSING)

- BARBARA: Morning. - I know. I know. Late start.

Yes, well, you've got things on your mind.

What do you... What do you mean?

I saw Jude last night.

Don't.

- Okay. Okay. - Don't Barb.

What did she say?

She seemed happy.

I just wanted to say, I think it's great.

Look, we haven't even talked about it yet.

It could be nothing. Just... Don't.

According to Sartre, hell is other people.

Some may think it's having to sit through one of his entire plays.

(STUDENTS LAUGHING)

But what if your self-esteem was so low, your ego so smashed,

you feel you didn't deserve even other people?

Wouldn't the worst possible hell be the one you're trapped in right now?

Yourself?

Heaven may be a story we tell ourselves to keep the fear of death at bay,

but it's also an example of how belief in an imagined future,

eternal paradise,

can help transcend our experience of the material world.

It can provide us with comfort and reassurance.

It can give some people the strength they need to live.

Others the strength they need to die.

The Cathars...

The...

Sorry, uh...

The Cathars, of medieval France believed...

Sorry, just give me a minute.

Ah!

(CONVULSING)

(SIGHING) Come in.

Thanks so much for coming back.

I really wouldn't have asked if I hadn't been, um...

Thank you.

It's okay.

(STATIC CRACKLING)

(WATER FLOWING)

(SURFACE SQUEAKING)

(WATER DRIPPING)

ALISON: A baby died here.

It doesn't mean that yours will.

It's just something terrible that happened.

I knew it.

I knew that there was something.

But what... What about the voice in the baby monitor?

I didn't pick up on that. I don't know anything about that.

I'm sorry.

I know that's not what you want to hear

but I... It's all I can say.

Are these headaches severe?

Sometimes.

I thought eyestrain, you know computer screens, bad lighting.

When did they first become more serious?

A couple of weeks ago. A month maybe.

Does anyone in your close family have a history of epilepsy?

Epilepsy?

The results of your EEG would seem to indicate that.

I see.

I'll book you in for a CT scan.

That should tell us more.

If necessary, we'll follow up with an MRI.

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

Alison, this isn't a good time.

ALISON: Um, about the house, I think you might have been right.

You said that you felt something strange in the bathroom.

ROBERT: No, Alison, I said...

I went back there.

Something horrible happened there.

Actually I don't think I felt anything at all.

Not the way you mean.

But you said that...

ROBERT: I had a headache.

But you're denying that

something strange happened to you in that house?

No, I'm not. I had a headache.

A migraine. I fainted. End of story.

- But... - ROBERT: Really, this isn't a good time.

I'll call you.

(WHISPERING) Good night, sleep tight, and don't let the bed bugs bite.

(BABY FUSSING)

Shh. It's okay. It's okay. Go to sleep.

Good boy.

(BABY CRYING)

(BABY COOING)

(BABY CRYING)

(BABY COOING)

(BABY CRYING)

(BABY CONTINUES CRYING)

You don't believe me then?

Well, I think perhaps you should get out more.

Why?

I think you need adult company.

I've got you. Haven't I?

Other adults.

Oh right,

tea and biscuits in an overheated room with the yummy mummies competing

over how fast their kids are developing.

Isn't it amazing how actually satisfying motherhood can actually be?

You need an objective view, I think.

Or what? I'll go mental?

I think you're under a lot of strain lately.

I tell you I'm worried that something's wrong

and what do you do?

Deny it point blank.

Or maybe you're right.

Maybe I should get out more.

Maybe I should go for a drink with Karen.

What's that mean?

It was Karen you were seeing last night, wasn't it?

Well who else would it be?

It is over.

So you say.

That won't help you.

Oh, you should listen to yourself.

Look, it's not easy for me either.

Working the hours that I do.

Wanting to be home with Tom, knowing that I...

Well, at least we can afford the house of our dreams, huh?

- What is wrong with you? - Nothing's wrong with me.

Then why are you acting so weird?

- (BABY COOING) - You know, when I go out,

- I need to know that Tom is safe. - (BABY BABBLING)

- Safe? What do you mean safe? - I need to know that I can trust you.

- I'm his father! - Then act like it!

MARTIN: I change the nappies, I wipe up the sick,

- I get the crying all day. - (BABY CRYING)

It's not all happy baths and cozy bedtimes with Mummy.

- I know that. - Then what are you talking about?

- I'm talking about your behavior... - (BABY CRYING ON MONITOR)

RUTH: What now? VOICE: Shh.

Shh.

Daddy's here.

(BABY CONTINUES CRYING)

Leave him alone! I won't let you have him!

VOICE: You don't deserve him.

ALISON: Something happened in the house.

You told me at the time that you felt something.

- Yes. Nausea and dizziness. - That's not what you meant.

Oh, right, what did I mean?

Since you're reading minds now.

What is wrong with you? I don't understand.

Why have you changed your mind?

I haven't changed my mind. Nothing happened.

I don't believe you.

Why are you so bothered about the house anyway?

What's the big deal? You didn't feel anything either.

Not then. But I went back.

A baby died there.

Oh, right. Now I see how it works.

Somebody else's tragedy gives you the excuse

to ignore the issue that really matters,

which is your feelings about your mother.

My mother is not an issue!

That is not what this is about!

You know nothing about my mother!

How am I supposed to talk to you, Robert?

How am I supposed to trust you,

if you keep moving the goalposts like this?

I don't understand the way you think.

I don't know what's going on in your head.

I don't like it and I don't appreciate it!

(DOORBELL RINGING)

If it's not a good time...

JUDE: No, it's great. He's down.

It's a good time. Come through.

(SOFT MUSIC PLAYING)

What?

What?

I wasn't planning on...

I don't think I should stay here tonight.

Okay.

It's not that I don't want to, it's just...

It's just I don't want to jeopardize something

before it even begins, you know?

No expectations, no promises,

no over-analyzing.

In fact, no analyzing at all.

Well, that could be difficult.

Let's just see what happens.

- That sounds good. - Good.

I will have a cup of tea, though.

You know where it is.

Ah...

(BABY COOING)

MARTIN: Excuse me. Excuse me.

- Morning. - Hi, morning, um.

You know this area, don't you, you know this house?

- Sure. - What happened here?

What happened in this house?

MARTIN: He killed him. He killed the baby.

It drowned, died in the bath.

Everyone knew about it.

It was an accident,

he only left the room for a minute, but of course it was his fault,

his responsibility.

His wife left him,

and he just stayed in the house.

I suppose he couldn't leave.

He was drinking by then, a lot.

Things just went downhill.

What do you mean?

He drank himself to death.

And he's still there.

Look, what can I do?

I don't know.

Come to the house,

please.

Just come to the house and... And...

I don't know, talk to him or something. Please, please.

(DOOR OPENING)

So how do you want to proceed? Do you want to start upstairs...

RUTH: Where've you been, Martin?

I thought you were gonna tell me when you...

- Hello. - Hi.

Ruth, this is Alison. She's come to help.

What kind of help?

With the noises. The voice.

She's a medium.

- There's something in this house. - What are you talking about?

It's just...

Interference, it's something to do with the atmospherics.

No, no. It's more than that.

I beg your pardon.

She didn't sense anything the first time she was here...

RUTH: The first time? Oh, she's been here before?

- In my house? - I invited her.

When? Why didn't you tell me?

Because I knew you'd be like this.

RUTH: What, rational?

- She heard it. She heard it too. - Of course she heard it.

She's a clairvoyant, that's what they do.

They hear things, that's how they get paid.

Why, are you worried about money now?

No, Martin, it's not the money I object to,

it's the fact that my husband is hearing voices from the wall.

Instead of talking to his wife about it or going to a psychiatrist,

he pays someone to feed his paranoid fantasies.

MARTIN: Paranoid! Paranoid? This is real!

RUTH: It's in your head!

MARTIN: There you go. Twisting it all round

to make it my fault, my problem.

RUTH: It is your problem. You need help.

MARTIN: Look, that's why she's here.

RUTH: She's not offering you the kind of help you need.

MARTIN: You have to believe me. There is something wrong in this house!

(CONVERSATION CONTINUES INDISTINCTLY)

VOICE: (ON MONITOR) Oh, it's all right.

Tommy.

Little Tommy.

(MUMBLING IN AN EERIE VOICE)

- Tommy. - (WATER FLOWING)

What are you doing?

VOICE: Come to Daddy now.

There's something here.

- How do you mean? - There's a presence, in this house.

Around your son.

You should go. You should leave.

You're talking about my baby.

I know it sounds farfetched...

You're talking about my son.

Get out, please. Get out of my house.

I'm sorry.

Get out! Get out of my house!

(EERIE VOICE WHISPERS)

(RUTH SHUSHING)

(WHISPERING) There's a good boy. Shh.

That's it.

- All right, sweetheart. - (BABY COOING)

(RUTH SHUSHING) That's it.

Mummy's here now, all right?

(BABY COOING)

(DOOR CLOSES)

Yeah. Whoo.

All your lovely clothes around, right?

(CELL PHONE RINGING)

(BABY COOING)

(BABY CRYING)

(BABY COOING)

It's good that you brought a friend along with you.

I've found that people don't always take in

the salient points from a meeting like this.

Your CT scan revealed an abnormality,

which is why we gave you an MRI as well.

You have a tumor.

I've discussed the results with our neurologist

and even without a biopsy

we can diagnose the tumor as malignant.

The tumor is lodged in your brain stem.

At the base of your skull.

Which is why I'm afraid, surgery is out of the question.

I'm afraid survival rates are extremely low.

You should think of your time remaining as months

or weeks, rather than years.

There is of course the option of radio or chemo therapy.

However, we can't guarantee that this will extend your life expectancy.

And given their serious side effects,

you may choose to put quality of life before treatment.

This of course is for you to decide.

Do you understand?

Yes.

Yes, I do.

(GULLS SQUAWKING)

(SIGHS DEEPLY)

(DOOR OPENING)

MARTIN: Come to the house. Please.

Just come to the house and talk to him or something.

Please, please.

(LOW WHISPERS ON BABY MONITOR)

(STATIC ON MONITOR)

(BABY COOING)

VOICE: Tommy lovely baby.

It's okay.

Lovely, lovely baby.

Lovely Tommy...

VOICE:♪ Twinkle, twinkle little Tom

♪ How I wonder where you've gone... ♪

There, there. Shh.

It's okay. I'm here now.

She doesn't love you.

She's a bad mother.

MARTIN: You heard him too, didn't you?

What did he say?

Tell me what you heard.

- What do you think we should do? - Leave.

We just can't leave.

This is our home, Martin.

She said we should go. Tom is in danger.

How can he be in danger? There's no one there!

Where would we go?

I suppose we could go to my mother's for a few days.

- I'll get the car. - But we can't go now. We can't go now.

Because we need all the stuff for Tom.

- We need the sterilizer... - Ruth!

(SOBBING)

Please.

(RUTH SNIFFLING)

ALISON: Robert.

Robert, Robert.

- Alison, please. Not right now. - It wants the baby.

- What? - He couldn't look after his own baby,

so he wants to look after Tom.

And Martin's wife won't listen to me, she won't let me near the place.

- What are you talking about? - I think they should leave,

- but she won't go. - No, Alison, no.

I thought she might listen to you.

So if we went round there together

you could talk to her, you could explain...

- Explain what? - Their child is in danger.

I can't do this.

Robert, we're talking about a child. A baby!

Is the blue teething ring in here?

- Yes, I think. - Okay.

What about the travel cot?

(BABY WHINING)

Right.

- I'll get him. - Okay. I'll start the car.

(BABY CRYING)

MARTIN: Where's Daddy?

Boo.

Where's Daddy now?

Boo.

Where's...

Hmm.

(SNIFFING) Someone's been busy.

Ah...

Going to need more than a nappy.

Aren't you, Mr. Poo Pants?

- (BABY CRYING) - Oh, you little stinker.

Yeah.

- (BABY CRYING) - All right. All right. I'll bring it.

What have you been up to, huh?

Oh, God. (GASPING)

- You made me jump. - Sorry.

So you're leaving?

Yes, we're just going to my mum's for a few days.

What changed your mind?

We're just going to take a break.

It's a good idea.

(BABY COOING)

MARTIN: Looks good, isn't it?

Oh, baby!

Here we go.

Here we go. Oh, stinky malinky, huh?

Now...

There. Where's your green frog?

Where's your green frog?

- (TOY RATTLING) - (MARTIN COOING)

Little froggie.

I think I thought that Martin was depressed.

He's given up his job and he's at home with Tom

all day, every day. I think it's hard.

What did he tell you about the man who lived here before?

The one whose baby died?

I heard him.

Did you?

It's impossible. It's...

Ridiculous.

He said I was a bad mother.

Who did? Martin or the voice?

The voice.

Unless.

I don't know.

Martin?

♪ Mother duck said Quack, quack, quack, quack

♪ But only two little ducks came back ♪

(STATIC ON MONITOR)

VOICE: ♪Mother duck said Quack, quack, quack, quack

♪ And no little ducks came swimming back ♪

Ruth!

VOICE: Silly song. Silly Martin.

Don't worry, Tommy,

you don't have to listen to him anymore.

Leave him alone!

No! (GRUNTING)

No!

Open the door!

No! No!

MARTIN: (SHRIEKING) No!

(MARTIN SOBBING)

Martin? Martin?

Martin. Where is he, Martin?

Oh, God, no!

Oh, my God! Oh, my God!

Oh my God!

(BOTH WAILING)

- Oh, my God! - (BOTH SOBBING)

(STATIC ON MONITOR)

(BABY CRYING ON MONITOR)

VOICE: Shh, Tommy don't cry.

There's a good boy.

You're safe now.

- Daddy's got you. - (BABY COOING)

Shh, shh.

- Now good boy. Shh. - (BABY LAUGHING ON MONITOR)